This year’s College Basketball Hall of Fame induction includes a former KC Kings star

In one sense, Otis Birdsong is coming home when he joins the class of inductees at the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony on Sunday.

Birdsong grew up in Winter Haven, Fla., was a college star at Houston and lives in Arkansas.

But he started his NBA career and had his best pro seasons with the Kansas City Kings.

Plus, Birdsong serves as the chief operating officer for the Kansas City Tornadoes, a minor-league basketball team that will play its home games in HyVee Arena this season.

“I’ve spend a lot of time in Kansas City, a lot of good memories,” Birdsong said.

He’ll add to them Sunday during the ceremony at Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland.

Birdsong will join a class of six players and two coaches in the 12th annual induction. The group includes basketball greats Sam Perkins (North Carolina), Sean Elliott (Arizona), Sidney Moncrief (Arkansas), Marvin Webster (Morgan State) and Paul Westphal (Southern California).

Perkins, Elliott and Moncrief led their schools to FInal Fours, with Perkins’ Tar Heels capturing the 1982 NCAA title.

Webster, known as “The Human Eraser,” led Morgan State to the 1974 NCAA Division II championship, averaging 21 points, 22 rebounds and eight blocks per game. Westphal had his jersey retired after a stellar career with the Trojans and went on to a five-time NBA All-Star career and as a coach led the Phoenix Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals.

Coaches entering the hall are John Kresse, who won 560 games at College of Charleston, and Danny Miles, who won 1,040 games and three NAIA Division II championships over 45 seasons at Oregon Tech.

Birdsong was the University of Houston’s best player between the Final Four eras of Elvin Hayes and Hakeem Olajuwon. As a senior, Birdsong averaged 30.3 points and was chosen as the top player in the Southwest Conference and a consensus All-American.

The Kings made Birdsong the second overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. In his second season, Birdsong was the team’s leading scorer at 21.7 points and led the Cotton Fitzimmons-coached Kings to their only division title.

In his fourth and final year in Kansas City, Birdsong enjoyed his best season, averaging 24.6 points, and led the Kings to the 1981 Western Conference finals.

“I remember how much fun I had playing in Kansas City,” Birdsong said. “Cotton Fitzsimmons came in and with his energy and charisma really captured the city.”

Birdsong, an All-Star in three Kansas City seasons, had a business decision to make after his fourth. The Kings offered to make him the highest-paid player in franchise history at $600,000 annually. But he was traded to the New Jersey Nets and became the first NBA guard to earn $1 million. He spent seven seasons there, making one All-Star team, and a final year with the Boston Celtics.

Birdsong spent several years as a member of Houston’s broadcast teams, and today he expects to visit Kansas City often working with the Tornadoes, a member of the The Basketball League, formerly known as North American Premier Basketball.

“I’ll be helping in every aspect, sponsorship, ticket sales, game-day operations, dance team, you name it,” said Birdsong, who played a similar role for a NBA developmental league team in Little Rock, Arkansas about a decade ago.

He got involved because the Tornadoes are coached by Ed Corporal, who was an assistant coach on last year’s team. The paths of Birdsong and Corporal crossed when he was a ballboy for the Kings. They remained close through the years, and Birdsong says Corporal “is like my adopted brother.”

There is something else familiar about the operation. The home portion of the Tornadoes schedule begins on Jan. 11 and games will be played at the building formerly known as Kemper Arena … where Birdsong started his NBA career.

“I can’t wait to get back there,” Birdsong said.

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame induction

Players: Otis Birdsong, Houston; Sean Elliott, Arizona; Sidney Moncrief, Arkansas; Sam Perkins, North Carolina; Marvin Webster, Morgan State; Paul Westphal, Southern California

Coaches: John Kresse, College of Charleston; Danny Miles, Oregon Tech

When/where: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland

Tickets: halloffameweekend.com

Blair Kerkhoff

Blair Kerkhoff covers the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and college sports for The Star.